The Peranakan Baba Nyonya Culture

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161The Peranakan Baba Nyonya Culture: Resurgence or Disappearance?Sari 26 (2008) 161 - 170

The Peranakan Baba Nyonya Culture:

Resurgence or Disappearance?

LEESUKIM

ABSTRAK

Kacukan budaya boleh terjadi dalam banyak bentuk dan pilih atur, termasuk

peminjaman kata-kata dan pengambilan amalan sosial dan kepercayaan danjuga penyesuaian pakaian dan makanan. Corak penghijrahan dan pengaliran

kebudayaan di Asia Tenggara telah menjana perkembangan yang tersebut dan

lain-lain pada masa dan di tempat yang berlainan. Di bawah keadaan yang

tertentu, suatu kumpulan etnik yang baru atau yang dikesan sebagai yang

berbeza daripada kumpulan etnik yang ada mungkin muncul. Kumpulan etnik

yang dimaksudkan adalah Peranakan Baba Nyonya. Ia terjadi pada abad ke

15 ketika orang Cina tiba di Melaka dan berkahwin campur dengan wanita

tempatan. Kebudayaan peranakan adalah gabungan unik antara kebudayaan

Cina dan Melayu dengan campuran daripada penyintesisan unsur kebudayaan

Java, Batak, Thai dan British, melambangkan faham pelbagai budaya dan

pelakuran lama sebelum terciptanya istilah-istilah itu..Kini, dunia peranakan

sudah menghilang.

Kata kunci: Peranakan, Baba, Nyonya, kebangkitan semula, keunikan

ABSTRACT

Hybridity of cultures can take many forms and permutations, including the

borrowing of words and the adoption of social practices and beliefs, and the

adaptation of dress and food. Patterns of migration and cultural flows in

Southeast Asia have generated at different times and places all the above

configurations and more. Under certain circumstances, what may emerge is a

whole new ethnic group or at the very least, a very recognizably different

subgroup of an existing ethnic category. One such group is the peranakanor

thebaba nyonyacommunity (also known as the Straits Chinese). It evolved inthe fifteenth century when the Chinese arrived in Malacca and intermarriage

with local women took place. The peranakan culture is a unique blend of two

cultures Malay and Chinese intermixed into a fascinating synthesis with

elements of Javanese, Batak, Thai and British cultures, representing

multiculturalism and fusion, long before the terms were invented. Today,

the world of the peranakan is a disappearing one.

Key words: Peranakan, Baba, Nyonya, resurgence, uniqueness

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ORIGIN OF THE PERANAKAN

The uniqueness of the Babas and Nyonyas has been much publicized in

magazines, coffee table books, newspapers and tourism promotion materials.

The more exotic features of the culture such as the old-fashioned wedding, the

kebaya, Nyonya jewellery and beaded shoes, Peranakan pre-war houses and

porcelain are often the focus. The Babas may be one of the most talked about

communities in Malaysia, but it is also one of the most misunderstood (Tan

1988).

The evolution of this unique ethnic group dates as far back as 500 to 600

years when Chinese traders arrived in the Malay Peninsula, the nucleus of whichwas Malacca, the center of the Malacca Sultanate. These traders did not bring

their womenfolk along, and many intermarried with local women. Intermarriage

between the Babas and the Malays eventually ceased, and for hundreds of years,

the Babas married exclusively amongst their own, becoming an endogamous

and elite group.

Today, they are found throughout Malaysia and Singapore with strongholds

in Malacca, Singapore and Penang.

DEFINITIONS

Three terms are commonly used to describe this community: the Peranakan,

the Straits Chinese, and the Babas and Nyonyas. The word Peranakan is derived

from the Malay word anak which means child. The term refers to the local-

born as well as the offspring of foreigner-native union. Frank Swettenham

explained that the term Baba was used for Straits-born males, whether children

of English, Chinese or Eurasian parents, and was of Hindustani origin (Tan

1988). Baba is the term for the male and Nyonya the female. The word Baba

may have been derived from the word bapa which means father in Malay.

Some historians think that it an honorific and the equivalent for a tuanor a

towkay. The word Nyonya is said to have originated from Java.

The Straits Chinese regarded the Straits Settlements as their homeland

and while maintaining a basically Chinese identity, they gradually abandoned

close links of kinship, sentiment, political allegiance and financial remittances

to China so characteristic of the non-Baba Chinese (Clammer 1980).A cleardistinction must be made between the Straits Chinese and the Straits-born

Chinese. To be defined as a Straits Chinese, he or she had to adopt the exterior

markers of a Baba or Nyonya, in language, customs, kinship, dress, food and

even occupation.

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163The Peranakan Baba Nyonya Culture: Resurgence or Disappearance?

PERANAKAN CULTURE

Peranakan culture is a rare and beautiful blend of two dominant cultures

Malay and Chinese with some elements from Javanese, Batak, Siamese and

European (specifically English) cultures. As Clammer (1980) puts it:

the result of this blending is not simply a random mixture, a pot-pourri of bits and

pieces, it is a genuine synthesis something which not only incorporates but also

transcends the component parts out of which it springs.

The culture then is a synthesis in terms of behaviour and the more obvious

aspects of material culture, and is expressed through its own language.

LANGUAGE

The Baba language or Baba Malay is a patois of the Malay language, with

many words borrowed from Chinese (especially Hokkien), Portuguese, Dutch,

Tamil and English. It is the mother tongue of the Babas and Nyonyas, many of

whom do not speak any Chinese dialect. It is a creole language for intra-group

communication and was the lingua franca of the Straits Settlements. Baba Malay

is fast dying today, and many of the young cannot speak it, having been brought

up to concentrate on English, Malay and even Mandarin.

Some examples of Baba Malay:Ini bakul gua punya. Apa pasal lu kasi dia?

Saya ini jam mau pigi paseh

Kasi gua balik, cepat.(Lee Su Kim 1978)

Here are some examples of Chinese words in Baba Malay:

Of Chinese Origin Meaning

Relationships

Gua I

Lu You

Nkong Grandfather

Tachi (toa-chi) Elder Sister

Mpek (Pek) Fathers elder brotherNchek (Chek) Fathers younger brother

Household affairs

Tia Front hall

Chimchae Open courtyard

Loteng Upper floor

Pangkaeng Bedroom

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Teng, tanglong Lamp

Chat Paint

Kachuak Cockroach

Food

Tauyu, kiamchai, kuchai, chaipo, kueh chang, kueh tiau

(Shellabear 1913)

CUSTOMS

The Peranakan spoke Malay, ate a Malayanized cuisine, tended to dress in Malay

costumes, and incorporated a good deal of Malay into their kinship terminology

together with certain matrilineal tendencies (Clammer 1980). The customs

practiced were however heavily Chinese in form and substance. Filial piety

was very important and ancestral worship was at the core of their culture. In the

past, an altar was commonly found in Peranakan homes for the worship and

remembrance of ancestors.

Cheng Beng, when one pays respect to dead relatives, is still observed by

many Baba families. Other festivals such as Tang Chekor the Winter Solstice

Festival are still practiced in certain households, though this practice too is

diminishing. This is the Thanksgiving festival observed on the eleventh moon.

Tiny round balls of various colours and shapes are made from glutinous rice

flour, and served in bowls of syrup. They are eaten after thanksgiving prayershave been sent to heaven. The Wangkangfestival involving days of prayer and

fasting is totally unobserved nowadays. The Chinese New Year is still a very

important festival for the Babas and Nyonyas but again, many of the traditional

customs associated with Chinese New Year have been forsaken in this era of

speed and the high demands of modern living.

One of the most colourful and elaborate aspects of the Peranakan culture

was the wedding. This involved a tremendous amount of preparation and great

expense, and usually covered a time span of twelve days for all the intricate

ceremonies. Tan Siok Choo describes it as a physically, financially and

gastronomically exhausting affair (1982). The Baba wedding too is disappearing

and there are not many left who are familiar with the rituals involved.

DRESS

The traditional Nyonya costume was theBaju Panjangwhich can be traced to

Javanese origins. It consisted of a long loose calf-length top with long sleeves

worn over a batik sarong. The collar is Chinese and the dress is fastened by a

set of kerosang (brooches). They were initially made of cotton but by 1910,

French and Swiss voile and organdie became the fashion.

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By the end of the 1920s, young Nyonyas abandoned the old-fashioned

austere baju panjangfor the more modern nyonya kebaya. The word kebayais

derived from the Portuguese word kobaya. The short kebayawas more flattering,

as it was figure-hugging and shapely, with intricate embroidery at the neckline,

sleeves and hem. The use of lace on kebayasmay have been an influence from

Portuguese and Dutch women who wore blouses with lace trimmings during

colonial times. The kebaya sulamwith its elaborate embroidery used to take six

months to make by hand in the past. The kebayais worn with a batik sarung.

Nyonyas preferred Pekalungan bat ik from Java because of its vibrant

combination of colours, and motifs of flowers, birds, insects, and other animals

(Pepin Van Roojen Productions 1993).

CUISINE

Peranakan food is a wonderful combination of Malay and Chinese cuisine

with influences from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Holland, Portugal and

England. Nyonya food is clearly unique and Malaysian/Singaporean in identity,

according to Tan Chee Beng (1993). This cuisine is the original fusion food

before the word was even invented. Using ingredients such asgalangal,serai,

chillis, tumeric, ginger, tau cheow, tamarind, lime juice, belachan, buah keras,

gula Melaka, spices such as star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg,

leaves such as daun kesum, daun kaduk, daun cekok, daun limau perut,

pandan leaves, the Nyonyas concocted a unique cuisine, with predominantlyspicy and piquant flavours. A Nyonyas cooking ability could be assessed in

the old days from the rhythm of the way she pounded the rempah to make

sambal belachan.

Peranakan eat the way Malays do, with their fingers. Chopsticks are however

used during elaborate festive celebrations and festivals.

Some well-known Peranakan dishes are:

Otak Otak

Ayam Pongteh

Assam Laksa

Roti Babi

Itik TimBuah Keluak

Perut Ikan

Achar

Sek Bak, Hong Bak

Cheng Chuan Hoo

Cincalok Omelette

Pork Liver Balls

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RESURGENCE OR DISAPPEARANCE?

A culture is only alive for as long as it is practiced and observed. I would say

that the Peranakan culture is gradually disappearing, and this is evidenced in

the diminishing numbers of Peranakan today who actively observe or practice

the culture. At the same time, there has been a great revival of interest and a

resurgence of pride amongst the Peranakan in their cultural heritage and their

Peranakan identity.

REASONS FOR THE DECLINE OF THE PERANAKAN CULTURE

Some factors that led to the decline of Baba culture were the gradual geographical

dispersion of the Babas, modernization and socialization with other groups.

Dispersion from the traditional bastions of Peranakan culture led to diffusion

of its cultural characteristics. It was in Malacca that Baba society had its deepest

roots. From Malacca, the culture was exported to Penang and Singapore. The

Babas gradually became more scattered throughout Malaya and the Southeast

Asia region, and with socialization with other groups taking place, they soon

lost much of their distinctiveness and exclusiveness. Khoo Kay Kim believes

that the large-scale immigration of Chinese into Malaya in the late 19thcentury

contributed to the disintegration of the Baba culture (Lee Su Kim 1978).

Intermarriage took place between Straits Chinese and non-Straits Chinese,

leading to a dilution of Nyonya culture.

With modernization and the introduction of Western ideas, the clannishnessof the Babas gradually eroded, and family ties became weak. During the zenith

of Peranakan culture, it was not uncommon to find three generations living

together under the same roof as one big extended family. Many customs and

rituals were less practiced and even the language is transmitted less from one

generation to the other under pressure from languages such as English and,

with independence, Malay. Presently, some Peranakan families send their

children to Mandarin primary schools to master Mandarin. This was something

that would not have taken place in the past, since Straits Chinese tended to look

down on the Chinese (collectively referred to as Tjina or Tiong hua). Vaughan

observed this cleavage between the Straits Chinese and the Sinkhek(Chinese

newcomers) in the late 19thcentury:

Strange to say that although the Babas adhere so loyally to the customs of their progenitors

they despise the real Chinaman and are exclusive fellows indeed: nothing they rejoice in

more than being British subjects. The writer has seen Babas on being asked if they were

Chinamen bristle up and say in an offended tone, I am not a Chinaman, I am a British

subject, an Orang putihliterally, a white man; this term is invariably applied to an

Englishman.

(Vaughan 1971: 2-3)

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The changing role of the Nyonyas has also contributed to the gradual decline

of the culture. The Nyonya in the past was brought up solely to be a good

daughter, wife and mother. Most of this writers grand-aunts in Malacca were

married off in arranged marriages to Babas. They received little education since

it was feared that too much education would make them bebas(too free and

wild). A good Nyonya was one who had excellent culinary skills, could sew

and manage a household well and who would make a good wife and mother.

She was expected to be virtuous, senonoh(gentle and ladylike in behaviour),

respectful of her elders, and come from a good family.

My late grandmother Lee Chuan Neo told me:

At the age of twelve, I was stopped from attending school and at fourteen was married tomy cousin who was twelve years older than me. My parents feared that too much education

would make me bebasand independent and behave arrogantly to my future in-laws.

(Lee Su Kim 1978: 21)

With time, more Nyonyas received education in English-medium schools

during the British colonial period. They eventually became more liberated from

their former constrained lifestyles. This led to a situation where they no longer

know how to observe much of their cultural heritage. Many modern Nyonyas

do not know how to cook traditional Peranakan dishes, cannot pass on the

language to their children, do not observe the demanding rituals and customs

and prefer to wear modern clothes rather than the Nyonya costume, except on

special occasions.

The depression of the 1930s and the Japanese Occupation delivered another

blow to Peranakan culture. At their cultural apex, the Babas and Nyonyas were

a very wealthy, powerful and elitist group, many wielded tremendous influence

in commerce, economics and politics. Much of the material wealth and prestige

of the Babas was lost during the Second World War, and the culture and lifestyles

of the Babas went into serious and almost certainly irreversible decline after

the Japanese invasion of Malaya in 1942 (Lee Su Kim 1978).

The Babas and Nyonyas are a sociological phenomenon that occurred

because of British colonization and cannot be understood outside of the context

of the essentially urban and colonial society of the Straits Settlements. The

political framework of the Straits Settlements enabled this remarkable culture

to emerge, although of course they existed before colonization (Clammer 1980).

Likewise, with the disappearance of this same supportive framework after theSecond World War, the culture began to wither.

Lastly, with the passing of the colonial regime, the Babas were left feeling

isolated, unable to represent themselves as fully Chinese for numerous cultural

and linguistic reasons and yet, not able to be assimilated into Malay culture,

since religion was a barrier. In the past, it was possible for Chinese to marry

Malays without conversion to Islam, but in present day Malaysia, this is hardly

possible. Furthermore, Islam is so linked to Malay ethnicity that the Baba

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Chinese, whether Baba or non-Baba, regard it as being un-Chinese to embrace

Islam (Tan 1988). Thus, as Clammer states, the Straits Chinese have been caught

on the horns of their own cultural dilemma (1980). Since they feel more aligned

to the Chinese ethnically, and in many respects socially and religiously, it is to

the Chinese community of Malaysian society that the Babas and Nyonyas have

had to look to for some sense of political and social shelter and belonging. In

other words, some sort of resinification has taken place where the Babas

have had to increasingly identify themselves with the larger Malaysian Chinese

community.

RESURGENCE OF INTEREST IN PERANAKAN BABA NYONYA CULTURE

There is presently a resurgence of interest in the Peranakan culture. Artifacts

such as Nyonya jewellery, silverware, beaded shoes or kasut manik, furniture

and Straits Chinese porcelain are today very much sought after. Peranakan

ceramic, especially, fetch high prices on the open market, and are now auctioned

at Londons Sothebys. Peranakan pre-war houses can fetch millions of dollars

in Singapore and many pre-war houses with Peranakan architectural features

are being bought up by consortiums and private individuals. One feature of

Peranakan culture which will certainly stay alive is Peranakan cuisine. Because

of its unique flavours, recipe books as well as restaurants, claiming to be authentic

Nyonya, continue to appear.

Great interest and appreciation of the beautiful nyonya kebayawas recently

revived through the work of the late First Lady of Malaysia, Datin Seri Endon,who wrote a book on the Nyonya kebaya and staged several exhibitions,

including several with her own stunning collection (Datin Seri Endon 2004). In

February 2005, the Museum Negara staged an elaborate exhibition on The

World of the Peranakan: Baba and Nyonya Heritage of Southeast Asia. Baba

Nyonya associations continue to thrive in Singapore, Penang, Malacca and on

the 1st of October 2005, a new association was born called the Peranakan Baba

Nyonya Association of Kuala Lumpur, the first of its kind to be formed outside

of the traditional bastions of the former Straits Settlements.

Most of the writings on the Babas and Nyonyas are academic books, theses,

articles and coffee table books. Not much writing has come out from within the

Baba Nyonya community. The Patriarchby Yeap Joo Kim and Ruth Hos

Rainbow Round My Shoulderwere published in 1975, both are biographicalaccounts of Baba families in Penang and Malacca respectively. In 1984, the

first Nyonya novel, Twilight of the Nyonyas, by Chin Kee Onn, was published.

In 1992, Yeap Joo Kim wrote a novel entitled Of Comb Powder and Rouge.

Two years later, this was followed by another book entitled A Rose on My

Pillowby Betty Lim. Shirley Lim published a book on her life entitledAmong

the White Moonfaces: Memoirs of a Nyonya Feminist. Lee Su Kims book

entitledMalaysian Flavours, a collection of essays based on observations of

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Malaysian life, with a section containing stories from her Peranakan heritage

was first published in 1996. The second edition of Malaysian Flavourswas

launched in 2004.

CONCLUSION

The Babas and Nyonyas are a unique sociological and cultural phenomenon

that occurred in an era of momentous transition. They have significantly enriched

the Malaysian and Singaporean cultural heritage, cuisine, fashion and the arts.

I conclude with a quote from the late First Lady, Datin Seri Endon

Mahmood:

I am only too aware that many aspects of Malaysias collective culture are being eroded

and may disappear altogether if steps are not being taken to preserve them or to record

them for posterity. I feel it is important that we do not lose our own. Already there are

signs that we have lost some big part of this heritage.

(2004:10-11)

If Peranakan culture cannot survive, we can only hope that the legacy of

this extraordinary culture a culture which brought out the beauty, grace,

passion, joie de vivre, industry, resilience and resourcefulness of two major

groups of people, the Chinese and the Malays in an amazing synthesis, will

remain with us for a long time.

REFERENCES

Chin, Kee Onn, 1984.Twilight of the Nyonyas. Kuala Lumpur. Aspatra Quest Publishers.

Clammer, J. 1980. Straits Chinese Society. Singapore: Singapore University Press.

. 2002.Diaspora and Identity. Kuala Lumpur: Pelanduk Publications.

Endon Mahmood,Datin Seri, 2004. The Nyonya Kebaya: A Century of Straits Chinese

Costume.Singapore: Periplus Editions.

Ho, Ruth. 1975.Rainbow Round My Shoulder. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.

Lee Su Kim, 1978. The Babas and Nyonyas of Malacca. Her World, March 1978:

29-22.

, 1996.Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian. Petaling Jaya:

Pelanduk Publications (2ndedition 2004).

Lim, Betty, 1994.A Rose on My Pillow. Singapore: Armour Publishing.

Lim, Shirley, 1996. Among the White Moonfaces: Memoirs of a Nyonya Feminist.Singapore: Times Books International.

Pepin Van Roojen Productions, 1993.Batik Design. Amsterdam: The Pepin Press.

Shellabear, W. G. 1913. Baba Malay: an Introduction to the Language of the Straits-

born Chinese.JSBRAS65: 49-63.

Tan, Chee Beng. 1988. The Baba of Melaka. Petaling Jaya: Pelanduk Publications.

, 1993. Chinese Peranakan Heritage in Malaysia and Singapore. Petaling

Jaya: Pelanduk Publications.

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Tan Siok Choo 1982. The Baba Wedding: One is Enough. The New Straits Times Annual

1982: 78-86.

Vaughan, J. D. 1971. The Manners and Customs of the Chinese of the Straits Settlements.

Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press 1971.

Yeap Joo Kim, 1975. The Patriarch. Singapore: Yeap Joo Kim:

, 1992. Of Comb Powder and Rouge. Singapore: Lee Teng Lay Pte Ltd.

Lee Su Kim, PhD

Pusat Pengajian Bahasa dan Linguistik

Fakulti Sains Sosial & Kemanusiaan

Universiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaBangi

Emel: [email protected]

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The Peranakan Baba Nyonya Culture

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